Christopher V. Carani is a Shareholder at McAndrews and has been at the firm since 1995. He practices in all areas of intellectual property law with a particular emphasis on design law, which regards the protection and enforcement of rights in the appearance of consumer products.
Chris has extensive experience litigating design patent cases, including representations before U.S. district courts, the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court, and the International Trade Commission. In each year since 2019, Chris has been named to the IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists list, with IAM magazine noting that he is “one of the world’s leading design patent strategists,” one of the U.S.’s “pre-eminent design law experts,” and “widely regarded as one of the country’s premier design patent lawyers.” In 2023, in Columbia Sportswear v. Seirus, Chris successfully argued a case of first impression before the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, creating new law on the issue of the proper scope of comparison prior art used in the design patent infringement analysis.
Chris has extensive experience in creating valuable design right portfolios. He represents some of the world’s most design-centric companies, including the top filer of U.S. design patents. He has procured thousands of strategic design rights, both in the U.S. and in over 70 countries around the world. He counsels a wide range of clients (big and small) on design protection and enforcement issues and is often called upon to render infringement, validity, and design-around opinions.
In the landmark design patent case Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa, Chris authored amicus briefs on behalf of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) at both the petition and en banc stages, taking positions that were ultimately adopted by the Federal Circuit and thereby reshaped U.S. design patent jurisprudence. In Calmar, Inc. v. Arminak & Assoc., Chris authored a brief on behalf of the Industrial Design Society of America in support of a petition for writ of certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 2023, Chris co-authored the amicus brief for AIPLA in the en banc case of LKQ v. GM Global Tech., which regarded the fundamental issue of how to assess obviousness in the design patent context.
Chris is currently the chair of the International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property (AIPPI) Design Rights Committee. He is the former chair of the American Bar Association’s Design Rights Committee and also the American Intellectual Property Law Association’s (AIPLA) Committee on Industrial Designs. Chris is a past president of AIPPI-US. In 2023, Chris received the AIPPI Award of Merit for his dedication and effort to forward the mission of the storied organization. Chris is only the eighth American to have received the prestigious award.
Chris is on the faculty of the Northwestern University School of Law as an Adjunct Professor of Law teaching Intellectual Property Law & Policy, a course that covers patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret law.
Prior to joining McAndrews, Chris served as a law clerk to the Honorable Rebecca R. Pallmeyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Chris received his Juris Doctorate from The University of Chicago Law School. He also holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from Marquette University.
He is licensed to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, and other U.S. District Courts. He is a registered patent attorney licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Chris has received numerous awards and accolades, including IAM Global Leader (2019-present), IAM Patent 1000 (2015-present), Super Lawyers (2007-present), IP Stars (2018-present), IAM Strategy 300 (2019-present), and Leading Lawyers Network (2012-present). In 2018, Chris was named one of the “Top 100” attorneys in Illinois by Thomson Reuters in its Super Lawyers publication.
He has published and lectured extensively on the topic of design law, including presentations at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (Washington D.C.), the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva, Switzerland), the Korean Patent Office (Daejeon, Korea), the Chinese Patent Office (Beijing, China) and the European Union’s Office of Harmonization of the Internal Markets (Alicante, Spain). Chris is the author and editor-in-chief of the book “Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection,” which was published in September 2017 by Wolters Kluwer N.V. The second edition of the book was published in 2022.
He is a frequent contributor to CNN and Bloomberg TV on intellectual property law issues and is often called upon to provide commentary for other media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, PBS TV, CNBC TV, BBC, Reuters, InformationWeek, Fast Company, ComputerWorld, PCWorld, The Washington Post, The L.A. Times, The Chicago Tribune, Forbes, Fortune, and FoxBusiness TV. Away from the law, Chris is a studied jazz musician playing upright bass on the Chicago jazz circuit.
EDUCATION
University of Chicago, J.D.
Marquette University, B.S.
BAR ADMISSIONS/REGISTRATIONS
Illinois
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Education
University of Chicago, J.D.
Marquette University, B.S.
Practices
Design Rights
IP Transactions
IP Litigation
Patent Prosecution
Post-Grant Practice
Trademarks & Copyrights
Bar Admissions/Registrations
Illinois
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Industries
Consumer Products
Computer & Electronics Technology
Industrial & Mechanical
Medical Devices
Life Sciences
Related Experience
Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Rebecca R. Pallmeyer at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Northwestern University, School of Law, Adjunct Professor, Chicago, Illinois (2015-present)
Chicago-Kent College of Law, Adjunct Professor, Chicago, Illinois (2018-present)
Honors & Awards
Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle, Award of Merit (2023)
Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Strategy 300 – The World’s Leading IP Strategists (2019-2023)
Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners (Individual – Intellectual Property Litigation) (Illinois 2015-19)
Super Lawyers (Intellectual Property Law) (Illinois, 2014-2023) (Rising Star 2007-2013)
Leading Lawyers (Intellectual Property Law) (Illinois, 2013-2019)
IP Stars (Patent Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Designs) (2019-2023)
“Top 100” attorneys in Illinois by Thomson Reuters (2018)
American Inn of Court, Outstanding Program Award (2011), Night at the Museum of Designs, Co-Chair, Outstanding Program Award (2023), Design Law-Dress for Success, Co-Chair
Chicago Law Bulletin, the nation’s oldest daily law bulletin, “Top 40 Attorneys Under 40” (Illinois)
Chick Evans Scholarship issued by the Western Golf Association (4-year full-ride scholarship)
Professional & Community Involvement
AIPPI, Chair of Design Rights Committee, 2015-present, Chair of AIPPI’s 2016 Resolution on the issue of Design Functionality (2016)
AIPPI-US, President (2020-22); Member of Board of Directors (2014-present); Vice President AIPPI-US (2018-2020)
American Bar Association, Chairperson of Committee on Design Rights (2010-2013); liaison to World Intellectual Property Office Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (2010-present)
American Intellectual Property Law Association, (Chair Committee on Industrial Design, 2006-10; Vice-Chair, 2004-2006)
Advisory Design Council for The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (2010-present)
Richard Linn American Inn of Court, Barrister Member
Intellectual Property Owners Association (Design Rights Committee Member)
International Trademark Association (Design Rights Committee)
Industrial Designer’s Society of America (Ambassador of Excellence Member; Affiliate Member)
Justinian Society of Italian-American Lawyers
Former Federal Law Clerk Society
Chicago Jazz Institute
Società Modenese di Mutuo Soccorso
Publications
Books
Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection, Editor, Wolters Kluwer N.V., September 2017 (2nd edition)
Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection, Editor, Wolters Kluwer N.V., September 2017 (1st edition)
Articles
All or Nothing at All: Design Patent’s Ornamentality Requirement and the Failings of Feature Filtration, 37 Berkeley Tech. L.J. 101 (2022)
Design Patent Functionality: A Sensible Solution, Landslide Magazine, Feature Article, American Bar Association, Volume 7, Number 2, November-December 2014
The New “Extra-Ordinary” Observer Test for Design Patent Infringement-On a Crash Course With the Supreme Court’s Precedent in Gorham v. White, 8 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 354 (May 2009)
‘Nothing Compares 2 U’: SCOTUS to Determine What’s Fair in Warhol v. Goldsmith, IPWatchdog, August 2022, co-authored with Dunstan H. Barnes, PhD, Meghan Trick
US Design Laws and Regulations, 2022 International Comparative Legal Guide for Design Law, April 2021, co-authored with Dunstan H. Barnes, PhD, Amber J. Carpenter, Sarine Hagopian
US Copyright Laws and Regulations, International Comparative Legal Guide for Design Law, November 2021, co-authored with Dunstan H. Barnes, PhD, Amber J. Carpenter, Sarine Hagopian
Designs – Protecting Fashion in the United States with IP Rights, 2021 Designs, A Global Guide, World Trademark Review, April 2021
Designs – Protecting Fashion in the United States with IP Rights, 2020 Designs, A Global Guide, World Trademark Review, January 2020
Global Design Rights, A Comparative Introduction, US Chapter, Les Nouvellles, Journal of the Licensing Executives Society International, January 2020
Graphical User Interfaces – Good Design Is Essential, 2019 Designs, A Global Guide, World Trademark Review, January 2019
Graphical User Interfaces – Good Design Is Essential, 2019 Designs, A Global Guide, World Trademark Review, January 2019
Oracle Wins Court Ruling Against Google in Multibillion-Dollar Copyright Case, Wall Street Journal, March 2018
Google Loses Android Battle and Could Owe Oracle Billions of Dollars, CNN Money, March 2018
5 Things To Know About The Oracle v. Google Ruling, Law360, March 2018
2018 Designs, A Global Guide, Feature Article on Graphical User Interfaces, World Trademark Review, January 2018
The Biggest Open Questions In Copyright Law, Law360, September 2017
Designs: A Global Guide 2017, World Trademark Review, co-authored with Dunstan H. Barnes, PhD, January 2017
Apple and Samsung face off in the Supreme Court today — here’s why that matters, CNBC, TV Interview, October 2016
Even After Google’s Oracle Victory, Long Fight Still Ahead, Law360, May 2017
Google Prevails as Jury Rebuffs Oracle in Code Copyright Case, New York Times, May 26, 2016
Oracle-Google Trial Over Android Has Software Industry on Edge, CNBC, TV Interview, May 2016
Ahead of the Curve, IDSA Expert Witness Seminar, IDSA Newsletter, April 2015
Designing Within the Four Corners of the Law, Beyond Design, April 2015
IBM Ranks Top in Annual U.S. Patents Granted for the 22nd Straight Year, Bloomberg TV, TV Interview, January 2015
T-Mobile US Inc. Alleges Huawei of Stealing Trade Secrets, Bloomberg TV, TV Interview, September 2014
Apple v. Samsung: Smart phone and tablet market at stake, National Law Journal, January 2012
Success By Design: The Three Dimensional Career of Intellectual Property Attorney Christopher V. Carani, 2012 Super Lawyer Magazine (Illinois), January 2012
Apple v. Samsung: Intelligence of Apple’s U.S. Design Patent Offensive, BNA Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal, 82 PTCJ 906, October 2011
Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Design Patents Get a Helping Hand From Federal Circuit – Vanguard v. Kappos,, BNA’s Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal, 81 PTCJ 687, March 2011
Federal Circuit Upholds Design Patent, The National Law Journal, January 2011
Gorham v. White: A Retrospective, Suffolk University Law School, January 2011
Vanguard Identification Sys., Inc. v. Kappos: Federal Circuit Upholds Design Patent, The Wall Street Journal, January 2011
Designs Come Out of the Shadows, Managing Intellectual Property, October 2010
Court Decision Should Make Knock-Off Designs Tougher to Defend, National Shoe Retailers Association (NSRA), Shoe Retailing Today, July/August 2010
Design Patents Sharpen Teeth With Major Victory From Federal Appeals Court, Office Furniture & Design Magazine, Summer 2010
Don’t Knock It, Footwear Plus Magazine, June 2010
Design patents get boost from Federal Circuit, The National Law Journal, May 2010
Infringers Beware!: Design Patents Sharpen Teeth With Major Court Victory, Apparel Magazine, May 2010
Profile on Chris Carani: Design Patents and All That Jazz, Chicago Lawyer Magazine, April 2010Principal Counsel of Record for American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) in the design patent case Richardson v. Stanley Works, Inc., 2009-1354 (Fed. Cir. 2010). Mr. Carani authored an amicus brief on behalf of the AIPLA in support of the petition for rehearing en banc
Press Release: Thomas Reuters (West) Publishing Selects Carani’s Law Review Article as one of the Year’s 20 Best Law Review Articles, March 2010
International Seaway v. Walgreens: Court Says ‘Ordinary Observer’ Is Sole Test For Design Patent Validity Analysis, Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) Patent Trademark & Copyright Journal, December 2009
Design Law & Furniture Patent Enforcement, Office Furniture & Design Magazine, Fall 2009
Egyptian Goddess Puts Teeth in U.S. Design Patents, Executive Counsel Magazine, Volume 6, Number 4, September/October 2009
Design Protection and Enforcement for the Kitchen and Bath Industry, KB&B Magazine, July 2009
Design Law & Footwear: Landmark Case Fundamentally Alters Design Patent Enforcement, Shoe Retailing Today, National Shoe Retailers Association (NSRA), July-Aug. 2009
“Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc.: Shock and Aftershock, An Analysis of the En Banc Decision and Its Effect on Design Patent Litigation,” United States Patent & Trademark Office, Design Day 2009, Alexandria, VA, April 2009
Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa: En Banc Federal Circuit Court Searches For The Rosetta Stone For Design Patent Jurisprudence, Intellectual Property Today, October 2008
Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa: En Banc Federal Circuit Court Puts Teeth Back In Design Patents, Intellectual Property Today, September 2008
Federal Circuit Scraps Point of Novelty Test, IP Law 360, September 2008
En Banc Court Weighs Eliminating Litton’s Point of Novelty Infringement Inquiry, Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) Patent Trademark & Copyright Journal, Vol. 76, No. 1871, June 2008
Federal Circuit Examines Design Patent Test, IP Law 360, June 2008
Principal Counsel of Record for Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) before the United States Supreme Court in the design patent case Calmar, Inc. v. Arminak & Assoc., No. 07-1263 (U.S. Supreme Court 2008). On May 5, 2008, Mr. Carani filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of IDSA in support of the petition for Writ of Certiorari
“Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc.: Will The En Banc Federal Circuit Court Find The Rosetta Stone for Design Patent Jurisprudence,” Illinois Continuing Legal Education credit pending, Chicago, Illinois, March 2008
Principal Counsel of Record for American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) in the precedential design patent case Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc., 2006-1562 (Fed. Cir. 2007). On February 5, 2008, Mr. Carani filed a brief on behalf of AIPLA as an Amicus Curiae at the En Banc stage. This case represents the first time the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has addressed a design patent case en banc
Design Patents Get Their Day in Court, The American Lawyer, January 2008
Principal Counsel of Record for American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) in the precedential design patent case Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc., 2006-1562 (Fed. Cir. 2007). AIPLA filed a brief in the matter as an Amicus Curiae at the petition for rehearing stage
Principal Counsel of Record for American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) in the precedential design patent case Lawman v. Winner, 05-1253 (Fed. Cir. 2006). AIPLA filed a brief in the matter as an Amicus Curiae
Looks Matter: Protect Your Product Designs with Intellectual Property While Creating Valuable Assets, The Super Show, Sporting Goods Convention, International Business Intelligence Series, Orlando, FL, January 2005
Design Patents: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, Sports Product Innovation Network, 2005
Design Patents: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, Sports Products Innovation Network, 2005 (Chinese Translation)
Technology Transfers In and Out of China, Global Intellectual Property Asset Management Report, October 2004
What Every U.S. Corporation Should Know About China’s Patent Protection and Enforcement, Association of Patent Law Firms, Chicago, IL, September 2004
Presentations
Panelist: “Design Patents: Meeting Obviousness and Novelty Requirements,” Strafford Webinar, December 20, 2023
Moderator: “En Banc Federal Circuit Case LKQ v. GM, Design Patent Obviousness,” IPLAC Webinar, December 7, 2023
Panelist: “The Average Consumer: Informed User,” 2023 AIPPI World Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, October 24, 2023
Panelist: “Capriciously Functional Designs,” 2023 AIPPI World Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, October 23, 2023
Panelist: “Key Developments in International Trademark & Design Law,” International IP Practice Seminar, UIC-John Marshall Law School, Chicago, IL, September 21, 2023
Panelist: “Key Developments in International Trademark & Design Law,” International IP Practice Seminar, UIC-John Marshall Law School, September 21, 2023
Invited Speaker: “Anatomy of a Design Patent Litigation,” 2023 USPTO Design Day, Alexandria, Virginia, May 4, 2023
Invited Speaker: “Identifying the Article of Manufacture for Design Protection: Anticipation, Obviousness, Infringement and Damages,” 2023 American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., April 13, 2023
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Scope in the Wake of Federal Circuit’s Decisions in Curver and Surgisil,” 2022 Design Law Symposium, Washington D.C., October 26, 2022
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Considerations for Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” Wisconsin State Bar Association, Sixteenth Annual Door County Intellectual Property Academy, August 11, 2022
Invited Speaker: “EU and US Design Law – A Growing Divide,” AIPLA Webinar (with Dr. Henning Hartwig), April 20, 2022
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality,” Strafford Webinar, March 24, 2022
Invited Speaker: “Product Designs and Packaging Protection: Leveraging Trade Dress, Design Patent, and Copyright,” Strafford Webinar, November 18, 2021
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Protection: Prosecution & Claiming Strategies,” 59th Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law, November 9, 2021
Guest Expert: “Essential Hague for Practitioners,” PCT Learning Center, June 2021
Moderator: “Intersections in Intellectual Property: Trends, Policies, and Strategies,” UIC-John Marshall Law School, March 12, 2021
Moderator: “Navigating and Rectifying the Design Patent Muddle,” Berkeley Center for Law & Technology/Berkeley Technology Law Journal Symposium, February 19, 2021
Invited Speaker: “The Hague Agreement. An International Perspective,” La Asociacion Mexicana para la Proteccion de law Propiedad Intelectual (AMPPI) and AIPPI-Mexico (Virtual), December 3, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Information Session on Temporary Protection Provided to Industrial Designs under Article 11 of the Paris Convention,” World Intellectual Property Organization (Virtual), November 26, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Online Counterfeiting and Infringements,” Strafford Webinar, November 24, 2020
Panelist: “Blended IP,” 64nd Annual IP Conference, UIC-John Marshall Law School, Virtual, November 13, 2020
Invited Speaker: Key Developments in International Trademark & Design Law & Policy, International IP Practice Virtual Seminar, UIC-John Marshall Law School, October 16, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Report on Key Findings of LESI´s Comparative Study on international Design Protection and Enforcement,” LESI Annual Meeting (Virtual), October 15, 2020
Moderator: “Should the term of Protection for Unexamined Design Rights Registrations Be Shorter?” AIPPI World Congress (Virtual), October 7, 2020
Panelist: “Designs for Medical Devices and Supplies – From Procurement to Enforcement,” AIPPI World Congress (Virtual), October 6, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Rights,” IP Watchdog CON2020, September 17, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Considerations for Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” Practicing Law Institute, Webinar, May 29, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents: Meeting Obviousness and Novelty Requirements,” Strafford Webinar, May 12, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Case Law Review: Federal Circuit, PTAB, and District Court,” USPTO Design Day 2020, Webinar, April 23, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Protection for GUI and Virtual Designs,” Sertaç Köksaldı – 6th Intellectual Property Law Seminar, Istanbul, Turkey, (Postponed)
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Protection,” IP Colloquium, Stanford University, Stanford, California, April 16, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Information Session on Temporary Protection Provided to Industrial Designs under Article 11 of the Paris Convention,” World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, TBD
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality,” Strafford Webinar, March 19, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Rights,” IP WatchDog, CON2020, Dallas, Texas, March 17, 2020
Invited Speaker: “AI and Design Rights,” ID5 Annual Meeting, Tokyo, Japan, December 2019
Invited Speaker: “Comprehensive Overview of U.S. Design Patent Law,” Japanese Patent Attorney Association – Kansai Division, Osaka, Japan, December 2019
Invited Speaker: “Comprehensive Overview of U.S. Design Patent Law,” Japanese Patent Attorney Association – Tokyo Division, Tokyo, Japan, December 2019
Invited Speaker: “Case Study of Design Protection for Electronic Devices,” Japanese Trademark Association, Tokyo, Japan, December 2019
Invited Speaker: “Comparative Analysis of U.S. and EU Design Rights,” International IP Practice Seminar, World Intellectual Property Office, UIC-John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, November 2019
Moderator: “IP/IT & Privacy Law,” 63nd Annual IP Conference, UIC-John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, November 2018
Moderator: “Mock Trial of Design Rights Case,” AIPPI World Congress, London, England, September 2019
Invited Speaker: “Advanced Tips for Litigating Design Patent Cases,” 2019 National Association of Patent Practitioners Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington, July 2019
Invited Speaker: “Functionality Doctrine in Copyright, Design Patent and Trade Dress,” AIPLA Design Rights Boot Camp, Chicago, IL, July 2019
Invited Speaker: “Special Considerations When Litigating Design Patent Cases,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Spring Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 15, 2019
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents: Meeting Obviousness and Novelty Requirements,” Strafford Webinar, April 2019
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality,” Strafford Webinar, March 2019
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Rights,” 19th Annual IP Year in Review, Boston Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, January 2019
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Infringement Remedies,” 56th Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law, The Center for American and International Law, Plano, Texas, November 2018
Invited Speaker: “Trademark and Trade Dress Law – Experts Panel,” 62nd Annual IP Conference, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, November 2018
Invited Speaker: “An Evening of Design,” Intellectual Property Association of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, October 2018
Invited Speaker: “Hot Topics in Design Law – Experts Panel,” 2018 AIPPI World Congress, Cancun, Mexico, September 2018
Invited Speaker: “IP Expert Panel,” 2018 National Association of Patent Practitioners Annual Conference, Washington D.C., July 2018
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claiming Strategies,” 2018 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, Overton Park, Kansas, May 2018
Invited Speaker: “Functionality Doctrine in Trademark and Design Rights Litigation,” EUIPO, Alicante, Spain, April 26, 2018
Invited Speaker: “Functionality Doctrine in Copyright, Design Patent and Trade Dress,” AIPLA Design Rights Boot Camp. Washington D.C., April 24, 2018
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Protection,” IP Colloquium, Stanford University, Stanford, California, April 13, 2018
Invited Speaker: “Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection,” Chicago-Kent College of Law, Center for Design, Law and Technology, Chicago, Illinois, April 11, 2018
Invited Speaker: “Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection,” John Marshall Law School, IP Lecture Series, Chicago, Illinois, March 22, 2018
Invited Speaker: “Securing and Enforcing IP Rights in Product Design,” 2018 International Home + Housewares Show, Chicago, Illinois, March 12, 2018
Multi-National Design Enforcement: The Road to Remedies, INTA’s 2018 Designs Conference: The Power of Design, London, England, February 2018
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality,” Strafford Webinar, February 2018
Invited Speaker: “Online Counterfeiting and Infringements,” Strafford Webinar, December 2017
Invited Speaker: “New Formats and Representations for Design Rights,” ID5 Annual Meeting, Alicante, Spain, December 2017
Invited Speaker: “Copyright Law: Functionality and Fair Use,” 61st Annual Intellectual Property Conference¸ The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, November 2017
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents: Meeting Obviousness and Novelty Requirements,” Strafford Webinar, October 2017
Invited Speaker: “Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection,” IP Colloquium, Indiana University, Mauer School of Law, The Center for Intellectual Property Research, Bloomington, Indiana, August 2017
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality and More,” Strafford Webinar, August 2017
Invited Speaker: “Industrial (Design) Revolution: From Spoons to Smartphones – Strategic Considerations for Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” IP Section of the State Bar of Michigan, Mackinaw Island, Michigan, July 2017
Invited Speaker: Impact of Star Athletica on Fashion and Apparel, International Trademark Association, Barcelona, Spain, May 2017
Invited Speaker: In What Trademark Attorneys Need to Know About Design Law?, International Trademark Association, Barcelona, Spain, May 2017
Invited Speaker: “More Than Meets the Eye: Strategic Considerations for Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” 2017 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, Overton Park, Kansas, May 2017
Invited Speaker: “Navigating Separability After Star Athletica: Applying the New Test,” Strafford Continuing Legal Education Webinar, May 2017
Invited Speaker: “Trending in IP: Tips for Avoiding (or Obtaining) Enhancements of Patent Infringement Damages,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Spring Meeting, San Diego, California, May 2017
Invited Speaker: “Mock Trial of Design Patent Case: Navigating Prosecution History Estoppel,” USPTO Design Day 2017, Alexandria, Virginia, April 2017
Invited Speaker: “Industrial (Design) Revolution: From Spoons to Smartphones – Strategic Considerations for Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” John Marshall Law School, The Center for Intellectual Property, Information & Privacy Law, Chicago, Illinois, April 2017
Invited Speaker: “Intellectual Property: Securing Rights, Enforcing Rights,” 2017 International Home + Housewares Show, Chicago, Illinois, March 20, 2017
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Damages: Impact of Samsung v. Apple on Patent Prosecution, Litigation and Valuation,” Strafford Webinar, February 2017
Co-Chair: “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind? Copyright’s Separability Doctrines,” Richard Linn Inn of Court, Chicago, Illinois February 2017
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents and the U.S. Supreme Court,” 2016 Wisconsin Intellectual Property Law Association, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, December 2016
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality and More,” Strafford Webinar, November 2016
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents & E-Commerce,” 2016 Design Law Conference, Washington D.C., October 2016
Invited Speaker: “IP & Fashion,” AIPPI World Intellectual Property Congress, Milan, Italy, September 2016
Invited Speaker: “Protecting and Enforcing Design IP in the Global Marketplace,” Global Intellectual Property Academy, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, Alexandria, Virginia, August 2016
Invited Speaker: “Right Brain Meet Left Brain: How to Litigate A Design Patent Case,” 2016 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, Kansas State Bar Association, Overland Park, Kansas, May 2016
Invited Speaker: “Intellectual Property: 5 Do’s and 5 Don’t for Product Designers” Annual Conference, Industrial Designer’s Society of America, New York, New York, April 2016
Roundtable Participant: “Thought Leaders Conference on the Future of U.S. Design Law” Annual Conference, University of Pennsylvania Law School, the University of Pennsylvania Integrated Product Design Program and the Industrial Designers Society of America, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 2016
Invited Speaker: “IP for Houseware Designs” International Home and Housewares Show, Chicago, Illinois, March 2016
Program Coordinator/Speaker: “Designs – Into the Future: Leveraging the Value of Design Rights as Key Protection & Enforcement Tools,” Joint INTA and AIPPI Conference, Singapore, February 2016
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents: Patent Law’s New Frontier,” Fourth Annual Patent Law Experts Conference, Naples, Florida, February 2016
Invited Speaker: “Design IP for Medical Devices,” Industrial Designers Society of America, Medical Design Conference, Tampa, Florida, October 2015
Invited Speaker: “Industrial Designs: Form Over Function,” AIPPI World Intellectual Property Congress, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 2015
Invited Speaker: “As Guide to U.S. Design Patent Prosecution and Enforcement,” CLE Speaker, Washington State Intellectual Property Association, Seattle, Washington , September 2015
Invited Speaker: “Developing and Protecting Trade Dress: Leveraging Trademark Law to Protect the Look and Feel of Product Design,” Webinar, August 2015
Adjunct Faculty: “Design IP Enforcement,” WIPO Summer School, United States Patent & Trademark Office, Alexandra, Virginia, July 2015
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Design Patent Prosecution,” United States Patent & Trademark Office Forum, Chicago, Illinois, June 2015
Invited Speaker: “Ornamental Does Not Mean Non-Functional,” International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, Swiss IP Day, Berne, Switzerland, May 2015
Invited Speaker: “Design IP for UX Design,” New York Technology Council, New York, New York, May 2015
Invited Speaker: “The Intersection of Design Patent and Trade Dress Law,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Spring Meeting, Los Angeles, California, May 2015
Instructor: IDSA Expert Witness Training Seminar, Industrial Designers Society of America, Alexandria, Virginia, May 2015
Invited Speaker: “Looks Matter: How to Protect Product and Packaging Design with Intellectual Property,” International Home and Housewares Show, Chicago, Illinois, March 2015
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent and Trade Dress Litigation: More Than Meets The Eye,” American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Webinar, January 2015
Invited Speaker: “U.S. Design Patent Law: A Comparative Analysis with Korean Design Law,” Korean Intellectual Property Office, Daejeon, Korea, January 2015
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents and Prior Art Under AIA” Design Law 2014, George Washington Law School and Indiana University School of Law, Washington D.C., November 2014
Invited Speaker: “Injunctions and Damages for Design Patent Claims vs. Utility Patent Claims,” Law Seminars International, Calculating and Proving Patent Damages Conference, Chicago, IL, November 2014
Selected Counsel: “Mock International Arbitration,” AIPPI World Intellectual Property Congress, Toronto, Canada, September 2014
Invited Speaker: “Case Law Trends For Design Patent Damages,” Law Seminars International, Litigating Patent Damages Conference, San Francisco, May 2014
Invited Speaker: “Case Law Trends For Design Patent Damages,“ Law Seminars International, Litigating Patent Damages Conference, San Francisco, May 2014
Invited Speaker: “Written Description Requirement As Applied to Design Patents,” 2014 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, Kansas State Bar Association, Overland Park, Kansas, May 2014
Invited Speaker: “From Spoons to Smartphones: Strategic Considerations for Product Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” Annual Conference, Industrial Designer’s Society of America, Chicago, Illinois, April 2014
Invited Speaker: “Recent Developments in Design Patent Law,” AIPLA Webinar, April 2014
NY Invited Speaker: “The Proper Role of Functionality in Design Patent Law,” Suffolk University, Symposium: Design Patents Modernizing and Old Property Interest, Boston, Massachusetts, November 2013
Invited Speaker: “The Proper Role of Functionality in Design Patent Law,” Suffolk University, Symposium: Design Patents Modernizing and Old Property Interest, Boston, Massachusetts, November 2013
Invited Speaker: “A Practitioner’s Guide to Design Patents,” American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Webinar, November 2013
Invited Speaker: “New Developments in Design Law,” Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, Annual IP Symposium, Chicago, Illinois, November 2013
Invited Speaker: “The Industrial (Design) Revolution: Perspectives on Recent Developments in Canada and the U.S.,” Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, Ottawa, Canada, September 2013
Invited Speaker: “Protecting Your Intellectual Property in the Global Marketplace,” Global Intellectual Property Academy, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, Detroit, Michigan, September 2013
Invited Speaker: “International Design Protection Strategies,” AIPPI Forum & ExCo, Helsinki, Finland, September 2013
Invited Speaker: “Hot Topics: US Design Patents,” Managing Intellectual Property Magazine, Global IP & Innovation Summit, Shanghai, China, September 2013
Invited Speaker: “Advanced Strategies for U.S. Design Patent Litigation,” Brazilian Association of Intellectual Property, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 2013
Invited Speaker: “Design IP in the Mobile Device Space: The Growth of Enforcement and Current Avenues of Protection,” American Bar Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, August 2013
Invited Speaker: “Apple v. Samsung: Strategic Consideration for Product Design,” Intellectual Property Law Summer Institute,” IP Section of the State Bar of Michigan, Mackinaw Island, Michigan, July 2013
Invited Speaker: “U.S. Design Patents: Out from IP Backwaters,” 7th Door County Intellectual Property Academy,” IP Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, July 2013
Invited Speaker: “So You Want to Improve Your Design IP? Here’s How,” Chicago Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section, Chicago, Illinois, May 2013
Invited Panelist: “Design Patents: A Year in Review,” United States Patent Office, Design Day 2013, Washington, D.C., April 2013
Invited Speaker: “Protecting and Enforcing Design for Mobile Devices,” Office of Harmonization and Internal Markets (OHIM) and World Intellectual Property Organization, 10th Anniversary Celebration of Registered Community Design Rights, Alicante, Spain, April 2013
Invited Panelist: “The Scope of Design Patents,” Design Patents in the Modern World Conference, Stanford University, Stanford, California, April 2013
Invited Panelist: “Current Issues in FRAND Patent Litigation: A Global Perspective,” Northwestern University School of Law, Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property 8th Annual IP Symposium, Chicago, Illinois, March 2013
Invited Speaker: “A US Practitioners’ Guide to European Union Design Law Webinar,” American Bar Association, Webinar, February 2013
Invited Speaker: “Industrial Designers Guide to Protecting and Enforcing Product Design,” Industrial Designers Society of America (Chicago Chapter), Chicago, Illinois, November 2012
Invited Speaker: “The Future of Design Protection,” organized by University of Oxford in connection with Center for Intellectual Property Research, Indiana University, sponsored by Microsoft Corporation and McAndrews, Oxford, England, November 2012
Invited Speaker: “Apple vs. Samsung: What The Case Means to Software Development and UX Design,” New York Technology Council, New York, New York, October 2012
Invited Panelist: “Designing the Design Patent System,” with Panelists Prof. Mark D. Janis and Tara N. Rosnell of Proctor & Gamble, The Scholarly Symposia Series, The University of Dayton School of Law, Dayton, Ohio, September 2011
Invited Speaker: “Post-Egyptian Goddess Case Law Analysis – Where do things stand?: Infringement, Claim Construction and Validity,” United States Patent & Trademark Office, Design Day 2011, Alexandria, VA, April 2011
Invited Lecturer: “Industrial Designer’s Guide to Intellectual Property Law,” School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects, Chicago, Illinois, March 2011
Invited Lecturer: “Strategic Enforcement of U.S. Intellectual Property Rights,” In-House IP Managers Forum, London, England, January 2011
Invited Lecturer: “Strategic IP Protection and Enforcement for Industrial Designers,” University of Illinois-Chicago, Department of Designed Objects, Chicago, Illinois, January 2011
Keynote Speaker: “Design Law for Designers: The In’s and Out’s,” Apparel’s 2010 Tech Conference, Hosted by the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, New York, November 2010
Guest Speaker: “A Night At The Museum of Designs,” Hon. Richard Linn American Inn of Court, Chicago, Illinois, October 2010
Guest Speaker: “Claim Construction in Post-Egyptian Goddess World,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington, D.C., October 2010
Invited Speaker: “Product and Package Design Protection Using Design Patents,” Intellectual Property Owners Association, Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, September 2010
Invited Speaker: “The Anatomy Design Patent Litigation,” American Intellectual Property Law Association Webinar, June 2010
Invited Speaker: “Looks Matter; How to Protect Product Designs While Creating Valuable Assets,” NeoCon’s World’s Trade Fair, Chicago, Illinois, June 2010
Guest Lecturer: “Point of Ornamentality Test? Navigating Richardson v. Stanley Works,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, New York, NY, May 2010
Invited Speaker: “Triple Play: Case Analyses of Three Recent Federal Circuit Design Patent Cases, International Seaway v. Walgreens, Crocs v. ITC, and Richardson v. Stanley Works,” Intellectual Property Owners Association, April 2010
Invited Speaker: “Who is the ‘Ordinary Observer’ in Design Patent Jurisprudence?” Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois, April 2010
Guest Lecturer: “Industrial Designer’s Guide to Intellectual Property Law,” School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects, Chicago, Illinois, March 2010
Invited Speaker: “Comparative Analysis Between U.S. Design Patent System and European Community Design Registration System,” Office of Harmonization and Internal Markets (OHIM) and World Intellectual Property Organization, Alicante, Spain, September 2009
Guest Speaker: “An Analysis of Post-Egyptian Goddess Case Law,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, San Diego, CA, May 2009
Invited Speaker: “Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc.: Shock and Aftershock, An Analysis of the En Banc Decision and Its Effect on Design Patent Litigation,” United States Patent & Trademark Office, Design Day 2009, Alexandria, VA, April 2009
Guest Faculty Member: “Litigating Design Patents Under Egyptian Goddess,” American Bar Association, Chicago, IL, December 2008
Guest Faculty Member: “Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa: Fundamental Change for Design Patent Law,” Practicing Law Institute, New York, NY, October 2008
Guest Panelist: “Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa: Design Patent Law And The Shape Of Things To Come,” Federal Circuit Bar Association, Washington, D.C., October 2008
Guest Lecturer: “Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc.: The Most Important Design Patent Case Since 1871,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington, D.C., October 2008
Guest Lecturer: “Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc.: The En Banc Federal Circuit Court Searches For The Rosetta Stone for Design Patent Jurisprudence,” Intellectual Property Law Association of Florida, Miami, FL, October 2008
Guest Lecturer: “The Path to Meaningful Design Patent Protection,” Industrial Designer Society of America, Chicago, Illinois, February 2008
Guest Lecturer: “The Big Five: The Federal Circuit’s Five Most Recent Design Patent Opinions – What’s Going On?,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington, D.C., October 2007
Guest Lecturer: “U.S. Design Law: Driven to Tears, Driven to a Sui Generis Design Registration System,” Intellectual Property Owners Association, New York, New York, September 2007
Guest Lecturer: “Mediation, Improvisation, and All That Jazz,” Chicago Bar Association and the Center for Conflict Resolution, Chicago, IL, May 2007
Guest Lecturer: “Design Patent Litigation: Design Patent’s Point of Novelty Test,” Chicago Bar Association, Chicago, IL, February 2007
Guest Lecturer: “What’s the Point?: A Comprehensive Analysis of Design Patent’s Point of Novelty Test,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 2007
Guest Lecturer: “The State of Design Patent Infringement in View of Federal Circuit’s Opinion in Lawman Armor v. Winner,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington, D.C., October 2006
Guest Lecturer: “Claim Construction and the Application of Markman to Design Patent Litigation,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington, D.C., October 2005
Guest Lecturer: “The Industrial Design Trinity: Copyrights, Trade Dress and Design Patents,” Chicago Bar Association, Chicago, IL, April 2004
Guest Lecturer: “Design Patent Litigation: The Functionality Doctrine,” Chicago Bar Association, Chicago, IL, July 2003
Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Rebecca R. Pallmeyer at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Northwestern University, School of Law, Adjunct Professor, Chicago, Illinois (2015-present)
Chicago-Kent College of Law, Adjunct Professor, Chicago, Illinois (2018-present)
Association Internationale pour la Protection de la Propriété Intellectuelle, Award of Merit (2023)
Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Strategy 300 – The World’s Leading IP Strategists (2019-2023)
Intellectual Asset Management (IAM) Patent 1000 – The World’s Leading Patent Practitioners (Individual – Intellectual Property Litigation) (Illinois 2015-19)
Super Lawyers (Intellectual Property Law) (Illinois, 2014-2023) (Rising Star 2007-2013)
Leading Lawyers (Intellectual Property Law) (Illinois, 2013-2019)
IP Stars (Patent Litigation, Patent Prosecution, Designs) (2019-2023)
“Top 100” attorneys in Illinois by Thomson Reuters (2018)
American Inn of Court, Outstanding Program Award (2011), Night at the Museum of Designs, Co-Chair, Outstanding Program Award (2023), Design Law-Dress for Success, Co-Chair
Chicago Law Bulletin, the nation’s oldest daily law bulletin, “Top 40 Attorneys Under 40” (Illinois)
Chick Evans Scholarship issued by the Western Golf Association (4-year full-ride scholarship)
AIPPI, Chair of Design Rights Committee, 2015-present, Chair of AIPPI’s 2016 Resolution on the issue of Design Functionality (2016)
AIPPI-US, President (2020-22); Member of Board of Directors (2014-present); Vice President AIPPI-US (2018-2020)
American Bar Association, Chairperson of Committee on Design Rights (2010-2013); liaison to World Intellectual Property Office Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (2010-present)
American Intellectual Property Law Association, (Chair Committee on Industrial Design, 2006-10; Vice-Chair, 2004-2006)
Advisory Design Council for The School of The Art Institute of Chicago (2010-present)
Richard Linn American Inn of Court, Barrister Member
Intellectual Property Owners Association (Design Rights Committee Member)
International Trademark Association (Design Rights Committee)
Industrial Designer’s Society of America (Ambassador of Excellence Member; Affiliate Member)
Justinian Society of Italian-American Lawyers
Former Federal Law Clerk Society
Chicago Jazz Institute
Società Modenese di Mutuo Soccorso
Books
Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection, Editor, Wolters Kluwer N.V., September 2017 (2nd edition)
Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection, Editor, Wolters Kluwer N.V., September 2017 (1st edition)
Articles
All or Nothing at All: Design Patent’s Ornamentality Requirement and the Failings of Feature Filtration, 37 Berkeley Tech. L.J. 101 (2022)
Design Patent Functionality: A Sensible Solution, Landslide Magazine, Feature Article, American Bar Association, Volume 7, Number 2, November-December 2014
The New “Extra-Ordinary” Observer Test for Design Patent Infringement-On a Crash Course With the Supreme Court’s Precedent in Gorham v. White, 8 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 354 (May 2009)
‘Nothing Compares 2 U’: SCOTUS to Determine What’s Fair in Warhol v. Goldsmith, IPWatchdog, August 2022, co-authored with Dunstan H. Barnes, PhD, Meghan Trick
US Design Laws and Regulations, 2022 International Comparative Legal Guide for Design Law, April 2021, co-authored with Dunstan H. Barnes, PhD, Amber J. Carpenter, Sarine Hagopian
US Copyright Laws and Regulations, International Comparative Legal Guide for Design Law, November 2021, co-authored with Dunstan H. Barnes, PhD, Amber J. Carpenter, Sarine Hagopian
Designs – Protecting Fashion in the United States with IP Rights, 2021 Designs, A Global Guide, World Trademark Review, April 2021
Designs – Protecting Fashion in the United States with IP Rights, 2020 Designs, A Global Guide, World Trademark Review, January 2020
Global Design Rights, A Comparative Introduction, US Chapter, Les Nouvellles, Journal of the Licensing Executives Society International, January 2020
Graphical User Interfaces – Good Design Is Essential, 2019 Designs, A Global Guide, World Trademark Review, January 2019
Graphical User Interfaces – Good Design Is Essential, 2019 Designs, A Global Guide, World Trademark Review, January 2019
Oracle Wins Court Ruling Against Google in Multibillion-Dollar Copyright Case, Wall Street Journal, March 2018
Google Loses Android Battle and Could Owe Oracle Billions of Dollars, CNN Money, March 2018
5 Things To Know About The Oracle v. Google Ruling, Law360, March 2018
2018 Designs, A Global Guide, Feature Article on Graphical User Interfaces, World Trademark Review, January 2018
The Biggest Open Questions In Copyright Law, Law360, September 2017
Designs: A Global Guide 2017, World Trademark Review, co-authored with Dunstan H. Barnes, PhD, January 2017
Apple and Samsung face off in the Supreme Court today — here’s why that matters, CNBC, TV Interview, October 2016
Even After Google’s Oracle Victory, Long Fight Still Ahead, Law360, May 2017
Google Prevails as Jury Rebuffs Oracle in Code Copyright Case, New York Times, May 26, 2016
Oracle-Google Trial Over Android Has Software Industry on Edge, CNBC, TV Interview, May 2016
Ahead of the Curve, IDSA Expert Witness Seminar, IDSA Newsletter, April 2015
Designing Within the Four Corners of the Law, Beyond Design, April 2015
IBM Ranks Top in Annual U.S. Patents Granted for the 22nd Straight Year, Bloomberg TV, TV Interview, January 2015
T-Mobile US Inc. Alleges Huawei of Stealing Trade Secrets, Bloomberg TV, TV Interview, September 2014
Apple v. Samsung: Smart phone and tablet market at stake, National Law Journal, January 2012
Success By Design: The Three Dimensional Career of Intellectual Property Attorney Christopher V. Carani, 2012 Super Lawyer Magazine (Illinois), January 2012
Apple v. Samsung: Intelligence of Apple’s U.S. Design Patent Offensive, BNA Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal, 82 PTCJ 906, October 2011
Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Design Patents Get a Helping Hand From Federal Circuit – Vanguard v. Kappos,, BNA’s Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal, 81 PTCJ 687, March 2011
Federal Circuit Upholds Design Patent, The National Law Journal, January 2011
Gorham v. White: A Retrospective, Suffolk University Law School, January 2011
Vanguard Identification Sys., Inc. v. Kappos: Federal Circuit Upholds Design Patent, The Wall Street Journal, January 2011
Designs Come Out of the Shadows, Managing Intellectual Property, October 2010
Court Decision Should Make Knock-Off Designs Tougher to Defend, National Shoe Retailers Association (NSRA), Shoe Retailing Today, July/August 2010
Design Patents Sharpen Teeth With Major Victory From Federal Appeals Court, Office Furniture & Design Magazine, Summer 2010
Don’t Knock It, Footwear Plus Magazine, June 2010
Design patents get boost from Federal Circuit, The National Law Journal, May 2010
Infringers Beware!: Design Patents Sharpen Teeth With Major Court Victory, Apparel Magazine, May 2010
Profile on Chris Carani: Design Patents and All That Jazz, Chicago Lawyer Magazine, April 2010Principal Counsel of Record for American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) in the design patent case Richardson v. Stanley Works, Inc., 2009-1354 (Fed. Cir. 2010). Mr. Carani authored an amicus brief on behalf of the AIPLA in support of the petition for rehearing en banc
Press Release: Thomas Reuters (West) Publishing Selects Carani’s Law Review Article as one of the Year’s 20 Best Law Review Articles, March 2010
International Seaway v. Walgreens: Court Says ‘Ordinary Observer’ Is Sole Test For Design Patent Validity Analysis, Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) Patent Trademark & Copyright Journal, December 2009
Design Law & Furniture Patent Enforcement, Office Furniture & Design Magazine, Fall 2009
Egyptian Goddess Puts Teeth in U.S. Design Patents, Executive Counsel Magazine, Volume 6, Number 4, September/October 2009
Design Protection and Enforcement for the Kitchen and Bath Industry, KB&B Magazine, July 2009
Design Law & Footwear: Landmark Case Fundamentally Alters Design Patent Enforcement, Shoe Retailing Today, National Shoe Retailers Association (NSRA), July-Aug. 2009
“Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc.: Shock and Aftershock, An Analysis of the En Banc Decision and Its Effect on Design Patent Litigation,” United States Patent & Trademark Office, Design Day 2009, Alexandria, VA, April 2009
Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa: En Banc Federal Circuit Court Searches For The Rosetta Stone For Design Patent Jurisprudence, Intellectual Property Today, October 2008
Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa: En Banc Federal Circuit Court Puts Teeth Back In Design Patents, Intellectual Property Today, September 2008
Federal Circuit Scraps Point of Novelty Test, IP Law 360, September 2008
En Banc Court Weighs Eliminating Litton’s Point of Novelty Infringement Inquiry, Bureau of National Affairs (BNA) Patent Trademark & Copyright Journal, Vol. 76, No. 1871, June 2008
Federal Circuit Examines Design Patent Test, IP Law 360, June 2008
Principal Counsel of Record for Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) before the United States Supreme Court in the design patent case Calmar, Inc. v. Arminak & Assoc., No. 07-1263 (U.S. Supreme Court 2008). On May 5, 2008, Mr. Carani filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of IDSA in support of the petition for Writ of Certiorari
“Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc.: Will The En Banc Federal Circuit Court Find The Rosetta Stone for Design Patent Jurisprudence,” Illinois Continuing Legal Education credit pending, Chicago, Illinois, March 2008
Principal Counsel of Record for American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) in the precedential design patent case Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc., 2006-1562 (Fed. Cir. 2007). On February 5, 2008, Mr. Carani filed a brief on behalf of AIPLA as an Amicus Curiae at the En Banc stage. This case represents the first time the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has addressed a design patent case en banc
Design Patents Get Their Day in Court, The American Lawyer, January 2008
Principal Counsel of Record for American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) in the precedential design patent case Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc., 2006-1562 (Fed. Cir. 2007). AIPLA filed a brief in the matter as an Amicus Curiae at the petition for rehearing stage
Principal Counsel of Record for American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA) in the precedential design patent case Lawman v. Winner, 05-1253 (Fed. Cir. 2006). AIPLA filed a brief in the matter as an Amicus Curiae
Looks Matter: Protect Your Product Designs with Intellectual Property While Creating Valuable Assets, The Super Show, Sporting Goods Convention, International Business Intelligence Series, Orlando, FL, January 2005
Design Patents: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, Sports Product Innovation Network, 2005
Design Patents: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words, Sports Products Innovation Network, 2005 (Chinese Translation)
Technology Transfers In and Out of China, Global Intellectual Property Asset Management Report, October 2004
What Every U.S. Corporation Should Know About China’s Patent Protection and Enforcement, Association of Patent Law Firms, Chicago, IL, September 2004
Panelist: “Design Patents: Meeting Obviousness and Novelty Requirements,” Strafford Webinar, December 20, 2023
Moderator: “En Banc Federal Circuit Case LKQ v. GM, Design Patent Obviousness,” IPLAC Webinar, December 7, 2023
Panelist: “The Average Consumer: Informed User,” 2023 AIPPI World Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, October 24, 2023
Panelist: “Capriciously Functional Designs,” 2023 AIPPI World Congress, Istanbul, Turkey, October 23, 2023
Panelist: “Key Developments in International Trademark & Design Law,” International IP Practice Seminar, UIC-John Marshall Law School, Chicago, IL, September 21, 2023
Panelist: “Key Developments in International Trademark & Design Law,” International IP Practice Seminar, UIC-John Marshall Law School, September 21, 2023
Invited Speaker: “Anatomy of a Design Patent Litigation,” 2023 USPTO Design Day, Alexandria, Virginia, May 4, 2023
Invited Speaker: “Identifying the Article of Manufacture for Design Protection: Anticipation, Obviousness, Infringement and Damages,” 2023 American Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., April 13, 2023
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Scope in the Wake of Federal Circuit’s Decisions in Curver and Surgisil,” 2022 Design Law Symposium, Washington D.C., October 26, 2022
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Considerations for Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” Wisconsin State Bar Association, Sixteenth Annual Door County Intellectual Property Academy, August 11, 2022
Invited Speaker: “EU and US Design Law – A Growing Divide,” AIPLA Webinar (with Dr. Henning Hartwig), April 20, 2022
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality,” Strafford Webinar, March 24, 2022
Invited Speaker: “Product Designs and Packaging Protection: Leveraging Trade Dress, Design Patent, and Copyright,” Strafford Webinar, November 18, 2021
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Protection: Prosecution & Claiming Strategies,” 59th Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law, November 9, 2021
Guest Expert: “Essential Hague for Practitioners,” PCT Learning Center, June 2021
Moderator: “Intersections in Intellectual Property: Trends, Policies, and Strategies,” UIC-John Marshall Law School, March 12, 2021
Moderator: “Navigating and Rectifying the Design Patent Muddle,” Berkeley Center for Law & Technology/Berkeley Technology Law Journal Symposium, February 19, 2021
Invited Speaker: “The Hague Agreement. An International Perspective,” La Asociacion Mexicana para la Proteccion de law Propiedad Intelectual (AMPPI) and AIPPI-Mexico (Virtual), December 3, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Information Session on Temporary Protection Provided to Industrial Designs under Article 11 of the Paris Convention,” World Intellectual Property Organization (Virtual), November 26, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Online Counterfeiting and Infringements,” Strafford Webinar, November 24, 2020
Panelist: “Blended IP,” 64nd Annual IP Conference, UIC-John Marshall Law School, Virtual, November 13, 2020
Invited Speaker: Key Developments in International Trademark & Design Law & Policy, International IP Practice Virtual Seminar, UIC-John Marshall Law School, October 16, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Report on Key Findings of LESI´s Comparative Study on international Design Protection and Enforcement,” LESI Annual Meeting (Virtual), October 15, 2020
Moderator: “Should the term of Protection for Unexamined Design Rights Registrations Be Shorter?” AIPPI World Congress (Virtual), October 7, 2020
Panelist: “Designs for Medical Devices and Supplies – From Procurement to Enforcement,” AIPPI World Congress (Virtual), October 6, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Rights,” IP Watchdog CON2020, September 17, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Considerations for Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” Practicing Law Institute, Webinar, May 29, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents: Meeting Obviousness and Novelty Requirements,” Strafford Webinar, May 12, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Case Law Review: Federal Circuit, PTAB, and District Court,” USPTO Design Day 2020, Webinar, April 23, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Protection for GUI and Virtual Designs,” Sertaç Köksaldı – 6th Intellectual Property Law Seminar, Istanbul, Turkey, (Postponed)
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Protection,” IP Colloquium, Stanford University, Stanford, California, April 16, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Information Session on Temporary Protection Provided to Industrial Designs under Article 11 of the Paris Convention,” World Intellectual Property Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, TBD
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality,” Strafford Webinar, March 19, 2020
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Rights,” IP WatchDog, CON2020, Dallas, Texas, March 17, 2020
Invited Speaker: “AI and Design Rights,” ID5 Annual Meeting, Tokyo, Japan, December 2019
Invited Speaker: “Comprehensive Overview of U.S. Design Patent Law,” Japanese Patent Attorney Association – Kansai Division, Osaka, Japan, December 2019
Invited Speaker: “Comprehensive Overview of U.S. Design Patent Law,” Japanese Patent Attorney Association – Tokyo Division, Tokyo, Japan, December 2019
Invited Speaker: “Case Study of Design Protection for Electronic Devices,” Japanese Trademark Association, Tokyo, Japan, December 2019
Invited Speaker: “Comparative Analysis of U.S. and EU Design Rights,” International IP Practice Seminar, World Intellectual Property Office, UIC-John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, November 2019
Moderator: “IP/IT & Privacy Law,” 63nd Annual IP Conference, UIC-John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, November 2018
Moderator: “Mock Trial of Design Rights Case,” AIPPI World Congress, London, England, September 2019
Invited Speaker: “Advanced Tips for Litigating Design Patent Cases,” 2019 National Association of Patent Practitioners Annual Conference, Seattle, Washington, July 2019
Invited Speaker: “Functionality Doctrine in Copyright, Design Patent and Trade Dress,” AIPLA Design Rights Boot Camp, Chicago, IL, July 2019
Invited Speaker: “Special Considerations When Litigating Design Patent Cases,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Spring Conference, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, May 15, 2019
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents: Meeting Obviousness and Novelty Requirements,” Strafford Webinar, April 2019
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality,” Strafford Webinar, March 2019
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Rights,” 19th Annual IP Year in Review, Boston Bar Association, Boston, Massachusetts, January 2019
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Infringement Remedies,” 56th Annual Conference on Intellectual Property Law, The Center for American and International Law, Plano, Texas, November 2018
Invited Speaker: “Trademark and Trade Dress Law – Experts Panel,” 62nd Annual IP Conference, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, November 2018
Invited Speaker: “An Evening of Design,” Intellectual Property Association of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, October 2018
Invited Speaker: “Hot Topics in Design Law – Experts Panel,” 2018 AIPPI World Congress, Cancun, Mexico, September 2018
Invited Speaker: “IP Expert Panel,” 2018 National Association of Patent Practitioners Annual Conference, Washington D.C., July 2018
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claiming Strategies,” 2018 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, Overton Park, Kansas, May 2018
Invited Speaker: “Functionality Doctrine in Trademark and Design Rights Litigation,” EUIPO, Alicante, Spain, April 26, 2018
Invited Speaker: “Functionality Doctrine in Copyright, Design Patent and Trade Dress,” AIPLA Design Rights Boot Camp. Washington D.C., April 24, 2018
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Use of Design Protection,” IP Colloquium, Stanford University, Stanford, California, April 13, 2018
Invited Speaker: “Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection,” Chicago-Kent College of Law, Center for Design, Law and Technology, Chicago, Illinois, April 11, 2018
Invited Speaker: “Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection,” John Marshall Law School, IP Lecture Series, Chicago, Illinois, March 22, 2018
Invited Speaker: “Securing and Enforcing IP Rights in Product Design,” 2018 International Home + Housewares Show, Chicago, Illinois, March 12, 2018
Multi-National Design Enforcement: The Road to Remedies, INTA’s 2018 Designs Conference: The Power of Design, London, England, February 2018
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality,” Strafford Webinar, February 2018
Invited Speaker: “Online Counterfeiting and Infringements,” Strafford Webinar, December 2017
Invited Speaker: “New Formats and Representations for Design Rights,” ID5 Annual Meeting, Alicante, Spain, December 2017
Invited Speaker: “Copyright Law: Functionality and Fair Use,” 61st Annual Intellectual Property Conference¸ The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, November 2017
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents: Meeting Obviousness and Novelty Requirements,” Strafford Webinar, October 2017
Invited Speaker: “Design Rights: Functionality and Scope of Protection,” IP Colloquium, Indiana University, Mauer School of Law, The Center for Intellectual Property Research, Bloomington, Indiana, August 2017
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality and More,” Strafford Webinar, August 2017
Invited Speaker: “Industrial (Design) Revolution: From Spoons to Smartphones – Strategic Considerations for Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” IP Section of the State Bar of Michigan, Mackinaw Island, Michigan, July 2017
Invited Speaker: Impact of Star Athletica on Fashion and Apparel, International Trademark Association, Barcelona, Spain, May 2017
Invited Speaker: In What Trademark Attorneys Need to Know About Design Law?, International Trademark Association, Barcelona, Spain, May 2017
Invited Speaker: “More Than Meets the Eye: Strategic Considerations for Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” 2017 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, Overton Park, Kansas, May 2017
Invited Speaker: “Navigating Separability After Star Athletica: Applying the New Test,” Strafford Continuing Legal Education Webinar, May 2017
Invited Speaker: “Trending in IP: Tips for Avoiding (or Obtaining) Enhancements of Patent Infringement Damages,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Spring Meeting, San Diego, California, May 2017
Invited Speaker: “Mock Trial of Design Patent Case: Navigating Prosecution History Estoppel,” USPTO Design Day 2017, Alexandria, Virginia, April 2017
Invited Speaker: “Industrial (Design) Revolution: From Spoons to Smartphones – Strategic Considerations for Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” John Marshall Law School, The Center for Intellectual Property, Information & Privacy Law, Chicago, Illinois, April 2017
Invited Speaker: “Intellectual Property: Securing Rights, Enforcing Rights,” 2017 International Home + Housewares Show, Chicago, Illinois, March 20, 2017
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Damages: Impact of Samsung v. Apple on Patent Prosecution, Litigation and Valuation,” Strafford Webinar, February 2017
Co-Chair: “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind? Copyright’s Separability Doctrines,” Richard Linn Inn of Court, Chicago, Illinois February 2017
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents and the U.S. Supreme Court,” 2016 Wisconsin Intellectual Property Law Association, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, December 2016
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent Claim Construction: Navigating Written Description, Ornamentality, Functionality and More,” Strafford Webinar, November 2016
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents & E-Commerce,” 2016 Design Law Conference, Washington D.C., October 2016
Invited Speaker: “IP & Fashion,” AIPPI World Intellectual Property Congress, Milan, Italy, September 2016
Invited Speaker: “Protecting and Enforcing Design IP in the Global Marketplace,” Global Intellectual Property Academy, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, Alexandria, Virginia, August 2016
Invited Speaker: “Right Brain Meet Left Brain: How to Litigate A Design Patent Case,” 2016 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, Kansas State Bar Association, Overland Park, Kansas, May 2016
Invited Speaker: “Intellectual Property: 5 Do’s and 5 Don’t for Product Designers” Annual Conference, Industrial Designer’s Society of America, New York, New York, April 2016
Roundtable Participant: “Thought Leaders Conference on the Future of U.S. Design Law” Annual Conference, University of Pennsylvania Law School, the University of Pennsylvania Integrated Product Design Program and the Industrial Designers Society of America, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, April 2016
Invited Speaker: “IP for Houseware Designs” International Home and Housewares Show, Chicago, Illinois, March 2016
Program Coordinator/Speaker: “Designs – Into the Future: Leveraging the Value of Design Rights as Key Protection & Enforcement Tools,” Joint INTA and AIPPI Conference, Singapore, February 2016
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents: Patent Law’s New Frontier,” Fourth Annual Patent Law Experts Conference, Naples, Florida, February 2016
Invited Speaker: “Design IP for Medical Devices,” Industrial Designers Society of America, Medical Design Conference, Tampa, Florida, October 2015
Invited Speaker: “Industrial Designs: Form Over Function,” AIPPI World Intellectual Property Congress, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, October 2015
Invited Speaker: “As Guide to U.S. Design Patent Prosecution and Enforcement,” CLE Speaker, Washington State Intellectual Property Association, Seattle, Washington , September 2015
Invited Speaker: “Developing and Protecting Trade Dress: Leveraging Trademark Law to Protect the Look and Feel of Product Design,” Webinar, August 2015
Adjunct Faculty: “Design IP Enforcement,” WIPO Summer School, United States Patent & Trademark Office, Alexandra, Virginia, July 2015
Invited Speaker: “Strategic Design Patent Prosecution,” United States Patent & Trademark Office Forum, Chicago, Illinois, June 2015
Invited Speaker: “Ornamental Does Not Mean Non-Functional,” International Association for the Protection of Intellectual Property, Swiss IP Day, Berne, Switzerland, May 2015
Invited Speaker: “Design IP for UX Design,” New York Technology Council, New York, New York, May 2015
Invited Speaker: “The Intersection of Design Patent and Trade Dress Law,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Spring Meeting, Los Angeles, California, May 2015
Instructor: IDSA Expert Witness Training Seminar, Industrial Designers Society of America, Alexandria, Virginia, May 2015
Invited Speaker: “Looks Matter: How to Protect Product and Packaging Design with Intellectual Property,” International Home and Housewares Show, Chicago, Illinois, March 2015
Invited Speaker: “Design Patent and Trade Dress Litigation: More Than Meets The Eye,” American Bar Association, Section of Litigation, Webinar, January 2015
Invited Speaker: “U.S. Design Patent Law: A Comparative Analysis with Korean Design Law,” Korean Intellectual Property Office, Daejeon, Korea, January 2015
Invited Speaker: “Design Patents and Prior Art Under AIA” Design Law 2014, George Washington Law School and Indiana University School of Law, Washington D.C., November 2014
Invited Speaker: “Injunctions and Damages for Design Patent Claims vs. Utility Patent Claims,” Law Seminars International, Calculating and Proving Patent Damages Conference, Chicago, IL, November 2014
Selected Counsel: “Mock International Arbitration,” AIPPI World Intellectual Property Congress, Toronto, Canada, September 2014
Invited Speaker: “Case Law Trends For Design Patent Damages,” Law Seminars International, Litigating Patent Damages Conference, San Francisco, May 2014
Invited Speaker: “Case Law Trends For Design Patent Damages,“ Law Seminars International, Litigating Patent Damages Conference, San Francisco, May 2014
Invited Speaker: “Written Description Requirement As Applied to Design Patents,” 2014 Midwest Intellectual Property Institute, Kansas State Bar Association, Overland Park, Kansas, May 2014
Invited Speaker: “From Spoons to Smartphones: Strategic Considerations for Product Design IP Protection and Enforcement,” Annual Conference, Industrial Designer’s Society of America, Chicago, Illinois, April 2014
Invited Speaker: “Recent Developments in Design Patent Law,” AIPLA Webinar, April 2014
NY Invited Speaker: “The Proper Role of Functionality in Design Patent Law,” Suffolk University, Symposium: Design Patents Modernizing and Old Property Interest, Boston, Massachusetts, November 2013
Invited Speaker: “The Proper Role of Functionality in Design Patent Law,” Suffolk University, Symposium: Design Patents Modernizing and Old Property Interest, Boston, Massachusetts, November 2013
Invited Speaker: “A Practitioner’s Guide to Design Patents,” American Bar Association, Young Lawyers Division, Webinar, November 2013
Invited Speaker: “New Developments in Design Law,” Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago, Annual IP Symposium, Chicago, Illinois, November 2013
Invited Speaker: “The Industrial (Design) Revolution: Perspectives on Recent Developments in Canada and the U.S.,” Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, Ottawa, Canada, September 2013
Invited Speaker: “Protecting Your Intellectual Property in the Global Marketplace,” Global Intellectual Property Academy, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, Detroit, Michigan, September 2013
Invited Speaker: “International Design Protection Strategies,” AIPPI Forum & ExCo, Helsinki, Finland, September 2013
Invited Speaker: “Hot Topics: US Design Patents,” Managing Intellectual Property Magazine, Global IP & Innovation Summit, Shanghai, China, September 2013
Invited Speaker: “Advanced Strategies for U.S. Design Patent Litigation,” Brazilian Association of Intellectual Property, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, August 2013
Invited Speaker: “Design IP in the Mobile Device Space: The Growth of Enforcement and Current Avenues of Protection,” American Bar Association Annual Meeting, San Francisco, California, August 2013
Invited Speaker: “Apple v. Samsung: Strategic Consideration for Product Design,” Intellectual Property Law Summer Institute,” IP Section of the State Bar of Michigan, Mackinaw Island, Michigan, July 2013
Invited Speaker: “U.S. Design Patents: Out from IP Backwaters,” 7th Door County Intellectual Property Academy,” IP Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, July 2013
Invited Speaker: “So You Want to Improve Your Design IP? Here’s How,” Chicago Bar Association, Intellectual Property Law Section, Chicago, Illinois, May 2013
Invited Panelist: “Design Patents: A Year in Review,” United States Patent Office, Design Day 2013, Washington, D.C., April 2013
Invited Speaker: “Protecting and Enforcing Design for Mobile Devices,” Office of Harmonization and Internal Markets (OHIM) and World Intellectual Property Organization, 10th Anniversary Celebration of Registered Community Design Rights, Alicante, Spain, April 2013
Invited Panelist: “The Scope of Design Patents,” Design Patents in the Modern World Conference, Stanford University, Stanford, California, April 2013
Invited Panelist: “Current Issues in FRAND Patent Litigation: A Global Perspective,” Northwestern University School of Law, Northwestern Journal of Technology and Intellectual Property 8th Annual IP Symposium, Chicago, Illinois, March 2013
Invited Speaker: “A US Practitioners’ Guide to European Union Design Law Webinar,” American Bar Association, Webinar, February 2013
Invited Speaker: “Industrial Designers Guide to Protecting and Enforcing Product Design,” Industrial Designers Society of America (Chicago Chapter), Chicago, Illinois, November 2012
Invited Speaker: “The Future of Design Protection,” organized by University of Oxford in connection with Center for Intellectual Property Research, Indiana University, sponsored by Microsoft Corporation and McAndrews, Oxford, England, November 2012
Invited Speaker: “Apple vs. Samsung: What The Case Means to Software Development and UX Design,” New York Technology Council, New York, New York, October 2012
Invited Panelist: “Designing the Design Patent System,” with Panelists Prof. Mark D. Janis and Tara N. Rosnell of Proctor & Gamble, The Scholarly Symposia Series, The University of Dayton School of Law, Dayton, Ohio, September 2011
Invited Speaker: “Post-Egyptian Goddess Case Law Analysis – Where do things stand?: Infringement, Claim Construction and Validity,” United States Patent & Trademark Office, Design Day 2011, Alexandria, VA, April 2011
Invited Lecturer: “Industrial Designer’s Guide to Intellectual Property Law,” School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects, Chicago, Illinois, March 2011
Invited Lecturer: “Strategic Enforcement of U.S. Intellectual Property Rights,” In-House IP Managers Forum, London, England, January 2011
Invited Lecturer: “Strategic IP Protection and Enforcement for Industrial Designers,” University of Illinois-Chicago, Department of Designed Objects, Chicago, Illinois, January 2011
Keynote Speaker: “Design Law for Designers: The In’s and Out’s,” Apparel’s 2010 Tech Conference, Hosted by the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, New York, November 2010
Guest Speaker: “A Night At The Museum of Designs,” Hon. Richard Linn American Inn of Court, Chicago, Illinois, October 2010
Guest Speaker: “Claim Construction in Post-Egyptian Goddess World,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington, D.C., October 2010
Invited Speaker: “Product and Package Design Protection Using Design Patents,” Intellectual Property Owners Association, Annual Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia, September 2010
Invited Speaker: “The Anatomy Design Patent Litigation,” American Intellectual Property Law Association Webinar, June 2010
Invited Speaker: “Looks Matter; How to Protect Product Designs While Creating Valuable Assets,” NeoCon’s World’s Trade Fair, Chicago, Illinois, June 2010
Guest Lecturer: “Point of Ornamentality Test? Navigating Richardson v. Stanley Works,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, New York, NY, May 2010
Invited Speaker: “Triple Play: Case Analyses of Three Recent Federal Circuit Design Patent Cases, International Seaway v. Walgreens, Crocs v. ITC, and Richardson v. Stanley Works,” Intellectual Property Owners Association, April 2010
Invited Speaker: “Who is the ‘Ordinary Observer’ in Design Patent Jurisprudence?” Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois, April 2010
Guest Lecturer: “Industrial Designer’s Guide to Intellectual Property Law,” School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Department of Architecture, Interior Architecture, and Designed Objects, Chicago, Illinois, March 2010
Invited Speaker: “Comparative Analysis Between U.S. Design Patent System and European Community Design Registration System,” Office of Harmonization and Internal Markets (OHIM) and World Intellectual Property Organization, Alicante, Spain, September 2009
Guest Speaker: “An Analysis of Post-Egyptian Goddess Case Law,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, San Diego, CA, May 2009
Invited Speaker: “Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc.: Shock and Aftershock, An Analysis of the En Banc Decision and Its Effect on Design Patent Litigation,” United States Patent & Trademark Office, Design Day 2009, Alexandria, VA, April 2009
Guest Faculty Member: “Litigating Design Patents Under Egyptian Goddess,” American Bar Association, Chicago, IL, December 2008
Guest Faculty Member: “Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa: Fundamental Change for Design Patent Law,” Practicing Law Institute, New York, NY, October 2008
Guest Panelist: “Egyptian Goddess v. Swisa: Design Patent Law And The Shape Of Things To Come,” Federal Circuit Bar Association, Washington, D.C., October 2008
Guest Lecturer: “Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc.: The Most Important Design Patent Case Since 1871,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington, D.C., October 2008
Guest Lecturer: “Egyptian Goddess, Inc. v. Swisa, Inc.: The En Banc Federal Circuit Court Searches For The Rosetta Stone for Design Patent Jurisprudence,” Intellectual Property Law Association of Florida, Miami, FL, October 2008
Guest Lecturer: “The Path to Meaningful Design Patent Protection,” Industrial Designer Society of America, Chicago, Illinois, February 2008
Guest Lecturer: “The Big Five: The Federal Circuit’s Five Most Recent Design Patent Opinions – What’s Going On?,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington, D.C., October 2007
Guest Lecturer: “U.S. Design Law: Driven to Tears, Driven to a Sui Generis Design Registration System,” Intellectual Property Owners Association, New York, New York, September 2007
Guest Lecturer: “Mediation, Improvisation, and All That Jazz,” Chicago Bar Association and the Center for Conflict Resolution, Chicago, IL, May 2007
Guest Lecturer: “Design Patent Litigation: Design Patent’s Point of Novelty Test,” Chicago Bar Association, Chicago, IL, February 2007
Guest Lecturer: “What’s the Point?: A Comprehensive Analysis of Design Patent’s Point of Novelty Test,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 2007
Guest Lecturer: “The State of Design Patent Infringement in View of Federal Circuit’s Opinion in Lawman Armor v. Winner,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington, D.C., October 2006
Guest Lecturer: “Claim Construction and the Application of Markman to Design Patent Litigation,” American Intellectual Property Law Association, Washington, D.C., October 2005
Guest Lecturer: “The Industrial Design Trinity: Copyrights, Trade Dress and Design Patents,” Chicago Bar Association, Chicago, IL, April 2004
Guest Lecturer: “Design Patent Litigation: The Functionality Doctrine,” Chicago Bar Association, Chicago, IL, July 2003
